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App Strategy Advisory & Market ResearchWed, 07 Dec 2016 12:36:05 +0000en-UShourly1The Need to Improve Collaboration Between mHealth App Publishers and Health Care Professionalshttp://research2guidance.com/improve-collaboration-between-mhealth-app-publishers-and-health-care-professionals-short-wish-list/
http://research2guidance.com/improve-collaboration-between-mhealth-app-publishers-and-health-care-professionals-short-wish-list/#respondTue, 22 Nov 2016 10:50:31 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5978While the mHealth app market is getting crowded, newcomers are still seeing opportunities left to seize. More of the companies behind the apps enter the market without a medical background. Partnership models between app companies and traditional healthcare companies are still underdeveloped. We have a short wish list of what needs to be done in Learn more...

]]>While the mHealth app market is getting crowded, newcomers are still seeing opportunities left to seize. More of the companies behind the apps enter the market without a medical background. Partnership models between app companies and traditional healthcare companies are still underdeveloped. We have a short wish list of what needs to be done in order to more closely link both sides with each other.
Let us take a closer look at some numbers first. The increase in the number of mid-size companies is an encouraging sign of both confidence in and the quest for sustainable growth. The so-called “Garage” companies, which are commonly low cost startups with 1-2 founders, have recovered from a decline in the previous year and currently make up 13 % of the mHealth publisher community. The number will probably not vary too much in the future. Similarly, there is a noticeable 5% increase among medium-sized companies. The majority of companies (61%) in the mHealth app publishing industry are small-sized companies, many of which are still unsatisfied with their goal achievement. For the latter, revenues remain low or modest that is, below USD 100k per year for 79%, which is barely enough to stay afloat. Only 43% claim to have either achieved or exceeded their goals. It is the medium-sized companies in the market which are currently growing in size. With an average of 3-4 years of market experience under their belt, established publishers seek to move beyond innovation towards revenue growth and ideally long-term profitability.

Yet, the mHealth publishing industry overall has not fully abandoned its initial objective, namely to help people to improve their health. This focus may well prove to be a long-term benefit for the industry, because an intrinsic motivation is usually coupled with persistence. As the mHealth App Developer Economics 2016 Report indicates, persistence is all that matters. App publishers which are longer in the market report higher revenues.

Contrary to what one might expect, the majority of mHealth app publishers (51%) do not come from the healthcare industry. While the latter by and large has become aware of the benefits of mobile technology in healthcare, it has not yet overcome its ambivalence towards digitization. But a closer look at the results of the Developer Economics Survey reveals a more complex picture. That mHealth app publishers are predominantly from the IT sector, tech companies or from app developers might explain why the perspectives and interests of these digital natives differ from that of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Although the market and app development has so far not been driven by corporate interests (e.g. Pharma industry, Health insurance companies, hospitals), mHealth publishers certainly value the expertise of HCPs. A considerable percentage of app developers (85%) either consult or collaborate with HCPs.

However, this collaboration and consultative practice seems to weaken; it declined by 11% when compared to 2015. This divergence is cause for concern. The newcomers in the mHealth app market likewise seem to be reluctant to involve more HCPs in the app development process, possibly because they consider it a challenge to win over doctors to use these new technologies. In case publishers do have a background in healthcare, their app development interests are generally geared towards specific medical purposes and institutions. They are typically publishing their apps as a means of connecting their medical devices (20%) or telehealth (18%) to manage health data. Some MDs are not yet ready to recommend apps to their patients either for security and privacy risks or because only a relatively small number of apps have so far received FDA approval. The pharma industry is likewise reluctant to increase the collaboration. The new information channels provided by digital Health, in particular the data platforms, could mean a manifold weakening of control and could challenge the growth prospects of the pharmaceutical industry. Conventional medicine, which is based on the prescription of drugs developed and produced by the pharma industry, may in the digital future of healthcare be only one of several means to disease management and therapy. Rethinking is thus required. With so much at stake, the pharma industry will need to work more closely with HCPs and HICs to determine best treatment options and to be supportive of innovative technologies.

It is worth noting that other institutions such as NGOs, universities, professionals from education & training, and governments, seem to have discovered the significance of digital Health. This shows in a 5% increase of such institutions in the share of app publishers from the previous year to a total of 16%. Similarly, among the newcomers in app developing and publishing 15% presently come from institutions outside the healthcare industry.

Regardless of the many undisputed benefits to mhealth care, the implementation of this digital revolution is still lagging behind the process, especially in Europe. Effective communication among all players involved is key to the success of digital health. So what needs to be done for developers and the industry (Pharma, Health Insurance Providers, Hospitals, and Medical technology companies) to come together and for healthcare professionals to adopt the use of mobile devices and apps? We believe that the following initiatives could be taken to overcome the reluctance among all significant players involved. Here is what we would like to see (wish list):

mHealth apps should become an integral part of the education and training of healthcare professionals to familiarize them with apps

Political institutions should set goals, define rules and regulations concerning digital communication including apps for HCPs; they should also determine sanctions for violations

Partner programs between established healthcare companies and app developers need to be established more widely, creating for both sides an easy way to connect and to find out how best to partner. Those partner models should be based on trust, risk sharing and a true collaboration effort to build something new that can’t be achieved in a five year business case. The ‘pay-per-active-user’ model appears to be an important component of such partner programs

The healthcare industry needs to gain know-how of the mHealth apps world by using continuous market and competitor monitoring

National Health Associations should take on the new challenge and help to organize quality assurance and establish hands-on certification programs to achieve the conditions they lobby for

Guidelines that would enable mHealth app publishers to understand and navigate regulations at an early stage must be issued and be available. On the other hand, one must ensure that publishers are aware of what regulations might impose limitations on the apps they develop

Some countries still have a long way to go to realize these objectives. Yet, local (i.e. national) mHealth decision makers in companies as well as those who serve on regulatory committees must act, or mHealth app publishers might move to countries that offer a more conducive environment for partnerships with the traditional healthcare industry and regulations that are transparent and effective at the same time.

As always, feedback is highly welcomed.

For further insights into the mHealth industry, we invite you to download the free 28-page report from our web site. (DOWNLOAD HERE)

]]>http://research2guidance.com/improve-collaboration-between-mhealth-app-publishers-and-health-care-professionals-short-wish-list/feed/0The addressable market for diabetes apps in 2016 has increased to 135.5M potential app users (diagnosed diabetics), out of which 4.1M are active usershttp://research2guidance.com/the-addressable-market-for-diabetes-apps-in-2016-has-increased-to-135-5m-potential-app-users-diagnosed-diabetics-out-of-which-4-1m-are-active-users/
Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:18:37 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5843There are now 135.5M people suffering from diabetes that could be supported by an app because they have a capable device. The number of active users’ diabetes app publishers can expect for their iOS and Android versions will exceed the 4M mark by the end of 2016. Diabetes apps have been rated as the mHealth Learn more...

]]>There are now 135.5M people suffering from diabetes that could be supported by an app because they have a capable device. The number of active users’ diabetes app publishers can expect for their iOS and Android versions will exceed the 4M mark by the end of 2016.

Diabetes apps have been rated as the mHealth app category to offer the best business potential of all chronic conditions since the beginning of the app store. The recently published 2nd edition of the Diabetes App Market Report reveals the significance of this business potential.

Since the previous edition of this report, the 2013 global prevalence of diabetes increased by +10.8% to reach 423.4M in 2016. This figure is expected to reach 640M in 2040 (IDF Diabetes Atlas, 2015). Global smart device penetration rates also increased from 35.1% (2013), to reach 59.3% in 2016. A total of 135.5M diagnosed diabetics (globally) now have access to a smart device, capable of operating a diabetes app; an increase of +86.5% (2013).

Within this target group, diabetes app publishers have managed to increase the share of active users from 1.6M (2013) to 4.1M in 2016. This increase in active users offers publishers more business opportunity, although still at a relatively low level.

Since the publication of the last diabetes app market report, leading diabetes app publishers have continued to improve their service offerings and business concepts to benefit from the increasing usage of diabetes apps.

Best practice diabetes app service offerings now cater for coaching services, and device sales. Connected device sales are the largest income source for diabetes app publishers in today´s market. More than half of the current total market revenue is sourced from device sales of connected glucose meters, insulin pens or accessories. Apps are being used to sell devices.

Market conditions for leading diabetes app publishers will improve over the next years. While the prevalence of diabetes is going to increase, so too is the share of active users, leading to significant opportunities for diabetes app publishers.

The Diabetes App Market Report 2016-2021 analyses monetization strategies of leading diabetes app publishers. It sizes the revenue potential for different business models based on actual market prices, and target group size trends.

]]>The mHealth apps market is getting crowded.http://research2guidance.com/mhealth-app-market-getting-crowded-259000-mhealth-apps-now/
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 08:32:19 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5734Almost 100,000 mHealth apps have been added since the beginning of last year, amounting to 259,000 currently available on major app stores. In addition, 13,000 mHealth publishers have entered the market since the beginning of 2015, totaling 58,000. The largest global study on mHealth app publishing reveals a massive increase in competition in the mHealth Learn more...

]]>Almost 100,000 mHealth apps have been added since the beginning of last year, amounting to 259,000 currently available on major app stores. In addition, 13,000 mHealth publishers have entered the market since the beginning of 2015, totaling 58,000. The largest global study on mHealth app publishing reveals a massive increase in competition in the mHealth app market.

The results of this year’s mHealth App Developer Economics 2016 study show a steep increase in competition level among mHealth app publishers. The supply side of mHealth apps is measured in the number of available apps and publishers. They are growing significantly faster than the demand side which is quantified by the number of mHealth app downloads.

The number of mHealth apps and active mHealth app publishers has seen strong growth since 2015. This year, the total number of mHealth apps listed on major app stores across the globe grew by 57% to 259,000 apps. This impressive growth is based on three main developments; the growing number of mHealth app publishers, the increased importance of multi-platform app publishing and the expansion of existing mHealth app portfolios.

The number of mHealth app publishers grew in line with the number of apps. There are currently 58,000 mHealth app publishers app on major app stores, 28% more since the beginning of 2015. There appears to be no immediate end to the number of companies rushing into the market to launch their first mHealth app.

Multi-platform publishing also contributes to the growth on the supply side of the mHealth app market. Currently, 75% of mHealth publishers are developing their mHealth apps both on iOS and Android platforms. Multi-platform publishing is even more significant for HTML5 and Windows Phone developers, however, these platforms are still niche and don’t contribute a lot to the overall number of mHealth apps yet.

In contrast, growth rates of mHealth app store downloads are estimated to be only +7% in 2016, having been +35% the previous year, reaching a total of 3.2B in 2016. This is in line with other app market categories and reflects the fact that growth of capable devices that can download apps has slowed down in most western countries.

As a consequence of this increased competition, it will be even more difficult to stand out and gain significant downloads. Only 14% of mHealth app publishers generated more than 100,000 downloads with their mHealth app portfolio in one year. This share increased only marginally by 3pp since 2014.

With hundreds of new mHealth apps released daily, companies have to consider their app launch as if it were a familiar product in a saturated market.

The mHealth Developer Economics 2016 research program is the largest research program about mHealth app publishing. This year more than 2,600 mHealth app developers and decision makers participated and shared their experiences and views about the mHealth app market.

There is much more and we will continue to write about the results of the study.

In the meantime, we invite you to download the free 28 pages report from our web site. (Go TO DOWNLOAD PAGE).

Thank you again for all that have participated. We look forward to your participation again next year.

]]>The 2016 mHealth App Developer Economics Study is out download for FREE!!http://research2guidance.com/2016-mhealth-app-developer-economics-study-download-free/
Mon, 10 Oct 2016 12:47:59 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5504Mhealth App Developers Economic report 2016 Thank you for participating in this year’s mHealth App Developer Economics Survey. This year we received more than 2,600 responses from mHealth practitioners across the globe, The results from this year’s study are available now. The report includes exciting mHealth market insights and covers such topics as: Which business models are Learn more...

]]>Why the Hidden Champion concept works much better for healthcare companies than any accelerator programhttp://research2guidance.com/why-the-hidden-champion-concept-works-much-better-for-healthcare-companies-than-any-accelerator-program/
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:08:32 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5384A major component of digitization strategies of companies in the healthcare sector is to connect with start-up companies. This created a hype around start-up matching programs for the healthcare industry. Incubators, accelerators, hackathon events or investment funds have emerged that organize matching of start-up with traditional healthcare companies. Start-up companies mainly benefit from those programs Learn more...

]]>A major component of digitization strategies of companies in the healthcare sector is to connect with start-up companies. This created a hype around start-up matching programs for the healthcare industry. Incubators, accelerators, hackathon events or investment funds have emerged that organize matching of start-up with traditional healthcare companies.

Start-up companies mainly benefit from those programs in an increase of awareness, a challenging of the business model, some money and access to distribution channels. Programs mainly attract early stage start-ups that are in concept phase or just launched their initial service offering. 95% of which will fail (mHealth Economics 2015).

The value the established companies get out of these programs seems to be more on the cultural change and educational side rather than on the business side. Only a few companies like Bayer have set up their own start-up programs. Those programs allow at least to search and select the start-up companies based on a company specific search catalog. Still start-ups that are being attracted by those programs are far away from success and the 95% failure rule applies to them as well. Most other programs like Start Up Boot Camp present their corporate partners a rather broad spectrum of start-ups that might have an interesting business model or an innovative technology but the chances for linking it with the core business of the companies are limited in most cases.

In order to get more out of the collaboration with start-ups, healthcare companies should change their approach. First of all they should concentrate on “hidden champions” rather looking at dozens or even hundreds of tech studies and early stage mHealth app services.

Healthcare start-up programs should be build around five dimensions.

From pre selection to specific search, meaning don’t “eat” from a given menu of pre-selected start-ups rather create a specific app portfolio. Company requirements are too specific to greatly benefit from a pre selection of start-ups presented by the program managers to pharma, health insurance and med tech companies

From investment to partner models, meaning that true value for a health care companies comes from linking the mobile channel (via app) with its core business. Owning and developing exit strategies like a VC is not their core business and slows integration process down. Companies should rather develop partner models that allows start-ups to link their services to the current service offering or processes. Become the “first customer” partner models allow more flexibility and promises better results.

From culture change to business focus meaning that the ambition should be set higher for participation in those start-up programs. Even though the value of mixing unconventional ideas and people with own thinking and current staff is of great value, ambition should be higher. Currently mHealth app solutions and business models have reached a sophistication level that allows to shift the focus to “making money”, “reducing cost” or “knowing customers better”.

From early stage start-ups to hidden champions meaning that companies should minimize the risk of betting on the “wrong horse” by systematically searching for companies that have shown initial success in user acceptance but are not already too big to be willing and flexible enough to enter into a real partnership. Hidden Champions represent around 3%-5% of the mHealth app market. They exist for the majority of mHealth use case like Diabetes, pregnancy, Asthma, remote diagnosis to name just a few.

From adhoc screening to ongoing partnering and integration, meaning that participating in a yearly matching program or organizing occasional start-up events is not enough to create impact and to establish a digital healthcare business with the help of third party apps. Healthcare companies should set up an ongoing process that starts with mobile use case identification and screening, manages the integration of the appcos service offerings and constantly measures the success of the integration and digitization.

The number of mobile use cases that a health insurance, a pharmaceutical or a med-tech company could potentially want to integrate into their core business is large. Companies should develop end to end processes that does not stop at identification of interesting concepts but rather developing duplicable partner models and integration processes.

Reach out to us, if you want to learn more about the r2g app portfolio screening and integration approach. As always feedback is highly appreciated.

]]>The 2016 mHealth App Developer Economics Study Has Been Launched. Take Part Today!http://research2guidance.com/the-2016-mhealth-app-developer-economics-study-has-been-launched-take-part-today/
http://research2guidance.com/the-2016-mhealth-app-developer-economics-study-has-been-launched-take-part-today/#respondTue, 09 Feb 2016 12:00:42 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5316Share your experiences and insights in the world’s largest annual study into the mHealth app economy today. 2015 was another fascinating year for mHealth. By the fourth quarter, we had reported that the total number of mHealth app downloads worldwide had reached 3 billion from 165,000 app solutions on the market, making the mHealth industry Learn more...

]]>Share your experiences and insights in the world’s largest annual study into the mHealth app economy today.

2015 was another fascinating year for mHealth. By the fourth quarter, we had reported that the total number of mHealth app downloads worldwide had reached 3 billion from 165,000 app solutions on the market, making the mHealth industry worth $10.2bn. Despite such progress, few developers have successfully monetized their solutions. Few apps have been effectively integrated into patient pathways or the daily routines of healthcare professionals, whilst traditional health care players continue to proceed cautiously into the space.

We’re proud to announce the launch of our 6th mHealth App Developer Economics Study to investigate how some of mHealth’s biggest challenges might be tackled in the coming years.

Last year, more than 5,000 industry experts participated, contributing to the largest study on the global mHealth app market available.

For the 6th edition of our study we’re trying to find out:

Which business models are most effective to succeed in mHealth today?

Which app categories are most successful in meeting the demands of both patients and investors?

What does the relationship between Health Insurers and mHealth look like in 2016?

Are you an app developer, publisher or perhaps a healthcare professional using mHealth apps for your work? Do you hold a position in a Pharma, Med-Tech or Health Insurance company that oversees mHealth activities or has an interest in mHealth or digital health technologies?

If so, we’re inviting stakeholders from across the industry to share their experiences of working in mHealth to find out what is proving successful today and what might prove successful in the near future.

What You Receive for Completing Our Survey:

The chance to view initial results immediately after completing the survey

A free copy of the mHealth App Developer Economics 2016 report

We’d like to warmly invite you to share your experiences and opinions concerning the current and future state of mHealth.

We thank you in advance for your time and participation & encourage you to share the survey link with any friends or colleagues you think may find the study interesting.

]]>http://research2guidance.com/the-2016-mhealth-app-developer-economics-study-has-been-launched-take-part-today/feed/0Healthcare Professionals Most Threatened Traditional Healthcare Player By mHealthhttp://research2guidance.com/healthcare-professionals-most-threatened-traditional-healthcare-player-by-mhealth/
Fri, 05 Feb 2016 13:30:35 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5312Patients stand to benefit the most from developments in mHealth over the next five years, but changes to traditional patient pathways mean that the Healthcare professional’s core business is the most at risk of all traditional healthcare providers. The mHealth Economics 2016 Report is out. Download the report for free! Despite the millions Learn more...

]]>Patients stand to benefit the most from developments in mHealth over the next five years, but changes to traditional patient pathways mean that the Healthcare professional’s core business is the most at risk of all traditional healthcare providers.

Despite the millions of downloads, sensors shipments and media hype, mHealth has only recently begun to actively change the way that healthcare can be delivered. Amongst all stakeholders in the industry, mHealth apps stand to benefit patients most. Drawing upon our annual Global mHealth App Developer Economics Survey for 2015, the largest study of its kind, we discovered that more than 50% of market experts project a high positive impact on how patients manage their health conditions and wellbeing as a result of advances in mHealth. As a result, mHealth is seen to have a large impact on all other phases of the patient journey: prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Most importantly, developments in mHealth will have a particularly acute impact upon the relationship between patients and health care professionals.

41% of mHealth app experts foresee that mHealth will have a large impact upon how providers, such as doctors and nurses treat patients, schedule appointments and execute diagnostics. Providers, are seen as the industry group, most ‘at risk’ from developments in mHealth solutions. One participant in our survey commented, “once you are diagnosed with a treatable and controllable illness, mHealth Apps will allow people to free themselves from physicians.”

With the number of double examinations reduced because of patients storing previous test results on EHR apps, or patients making fewer hospital visits due to remote diagnostics, coupled with the ubiquity of healthcare information with apps granting access to e.g. disease, medication or doctor’s information everywhere and every time, we can see indications of why experts see mHealth practitioners as particularly at risk.

Med Tech companies are also seen as at risk, with new technologies leading to new competition in the market. In the case of mHealth, there is great hope that the cost of solutions will decrease dramatically in the next 5 years thus threatening existing patient management or diagnostic system providers.

The Pharma industry is seen to be at risk predominantly because of their potential to lose a key competitive advantage: knowledge about patients. New mHealth service providers already gather more patient information with the help of apps than any clinical trial is able to provide. The leading diabetes management app providers will for example know how diabetes progresses for hundreds of thousands of patients in correlation with their activity level, what they have eaten, their mood or because of the medication they have taken. Whilst Pharma companies have already begun to counter this risk, this has been with limited success thus far. Read our “Pharma App Benchmarking 2014” report to learn more about the current mHealth app activities of the 12 leading Pharma companies.

Other groups will be less impacted by mHealth during the next five years with pharmacies being the industry with the lowest share of high impact forecast. 23% of mHealth market players actually anticipate that the impact mHealth upon Pharmacy industry will be none or very little.

Aside from Pharmacies, mHealth is foreseen to have a major impact on all other relevant healthcare stakeholders by the majority of today’s mHealth market players.

]]>App Stores Will Be The Number One Distribution Channel for mHealth Apps Until At Least 2020http://research2guidance.com/app-stores-will-be-the-number-one-distribution-channel-for-mhealth-apps-until-2020/
Tue, 02 Feb 2016 13:21:40 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5309App stores remain the number one distribution channel for mHealth apps. 52% of mHealth experts rate app stores, such as Apple App Store or Google Play, to be the best channels from which to distribute mHealth apps for the next five years. The mHealth Economics 2016 Report is out. Download the report for free! Learn more...

]]>App stores remain the number one distribution channel for mHealth apps. 52% of mHealth experts rate app stores, such as Apple App Store or Google Play, to be the best channels from which to distribute mHealth apps for the next five years.

According to the results of our global report, the mHealth App Developer Economics Study 2015, over half of respondents deemed app stores to be the most effective distribution channel for app solutions. Distribution through other channels, such as via doctors, hospitals or pharmacies are increasingly seen to be weaker channels through which to distribute a successful app solution.

In 2010, more than 65% of mHealth practitioners believed that hospitals or physicians would become the main distribution channel for mHealth app solutions in the coming years. According to our recent findings however, just 48% (physicians) and 46% (hospitals) now believe that to be the case.

In past years, an overriding optimism that mHealth apps would develop to become an integral part of healthcare led to the assumption that doctors and hospitals would begin including mHealth apps into their treatments, thus becoming the main distribution channel for mHealth apps. By the end of 2015 however, this scenario still seems distant, leading to a more realistic judgement of the impact these channels will have on the distribution of mHealth apps until 2020.

]]>Impacting Behavioural Change: Which Concepts Work For mHealth?http://research2guidance.com/impacting-behavioural-change-which-concepts-work-for-mhealth/
Fri, 29 Jan 2016 10:05:45 +0000http://research2guidance.com/?p=5302Personalised content: reminders, educational tools and dashboards are the app features which currently provide the simplest and most effective means to positively impact user behavioural change, according to mHealth experts. The mHealth Economics 2016 Report is out. Download the report for free! One promise of mHealth apps is that they can encourage behavioural Learn more...

]]>Personalised content: reminders, educational tools and dashboards are the app features which currently provide the simplest and most effective means to positively impact user behavioural change, according to mHealth experts.

One promise of mHealth apps is that they can encourage behavioural change. Although the majority of applications cannot live up to this promise because they fail to retain users, publishers have developed a broad variety of app features to change user habits, ranging from simple reminders and user-generated content to financial incentives and direct messaging from healthcare professionals.

In our 2015 mHealth App Developer Economics Survey, which drew upon responses from 5,000 industry experts, we investigated which concepts are proving most effective in impacting user behaviour change. We found that 60% of mHealth experts believe dashboards to be the simplest and most effective feature to implement, followed by personal reminders (49%). Whilst direct user interaction with a doctor, e.g. sharing weekly test results and receiving feedback had the highest positive impact on behaviour change, experts conceded that it was currently the most difficult feature to implement.

Gamification and gamified features too can be effective in driving behavioural change and currently, 28% of mHealth app publishers have adopted these features. Our survey found that gamification can have a particularly significant impact in changing children’s behaviour and in ensuring a patient’s compliance with treatment plans. According to publishers however, gamification does not work effectively when concepts are simply transferred from solution to solution. As one survey respondent aptly commented, the “gamification [of an app] is on one level easy. On the other, it is very difficult to create a truly immersive ‘game’ experience for patients”. In short, gamified approaches have to be adapted to provide more effective and targeted support e.g. encouraging diabetes or stroke patients to test glucose levels or engage in brain exercises.

Offering financial incentives for demonstrable behaviour change has also proven a popular topic of conversation. Companies currently use direct financial rewards, reduce deductibles within health plans or offer redeemable coupons for products or services and incentives are being offered for example, in return for providing daily feedback over a week, executing a step challenge or going to the gym 3 times a week in a month.

Health insurance companies in particular are well positioned to provide economic incentives in return for behaviour change. The majority of insurers are still hesitant to proceed, but pioneers have shown how financial reward systems can be linked to app solutions. Oscar Health are a notable example, with customers able to receive a free Misfit wristband pedometer that connects to Oscar’s app solution, linking customer biometric information directly to the insurer. Customers are rewarded for staying active, using the ‘3rd party incentive’ model. Each day, a target for the number of steps to move is set. If the target is achieved, the customer earns $1 (up to $240 a year). If targets are met 20 times for example, an Amazon gift voucher worth $20 can be redeemed.

Despite the seeming success of such solutions however, mHealth app publishers perceive the current impact of financial incentives to be limited and difficult to implement. Therefore, only 20% of mHealth app publishers use financial incentives within their app portfolio at present.